


Physical Fitness

by Highlander_II



Category: American Gothic
Genre: F/M, Yuletide 2009
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-19
Updated: 2009-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-04 15:35:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Highlander_II/pseuds/Highlander_II
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A chance encounter in the locker room leads to more than just a discussion of workouts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Physical Fitness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CousinShelley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CousinShelley/gifts).



> Standard disclaimer applies - characters and general concepts borrowed, all returned in the end with little to no damage done. =)
> 
> And lots of thanks to my lovely beta who whipped through this with a wicked red pen!

Gail caught him leaving the showers. The small town gym seemed to only have one of everything – one treadmill, one stair climber, one weight bench, one stationary bike, one aerobics class, one locker room. Fortunately, not many people seemed to use the local gym. That would explain her surprise when she saw the small town's sheriff emerge from the shower area wearing nothing but a towel.

"Well, hello, Miss Em'ry," he greeted her with no more surprise than if they bumped into one another on the street.

Her first response to him was, "You go to the gym?" It should have been more along the lines of 'I should go', but shock had taken her over more thoroughly than she'd anticipated.

Buck smiled at her as warmly as he knew how. "Staying in shape takes good old-fashioned hard work, Miss Em'ry."

"Of course," she responded. "I just meant..."

"I know what you meant. You never expected to see me at the gym."

She blinked once. "Considering I've never seen you working out before, no."

"You don't see the wind blow, but you know it's there," he parried.

Pulling her eyes away from a drop of water sliding down the center of his chest, she managed to respond, "I suppose." She had to admit, the man had a well-toned body. Muscles rippled beneath his skin like they were being restrained and needed to be released. Buck looked as though he spent hours in the sun to maintain his warm tan, but he always wore long-sleeved shirts and dark pants that should prevent the sun from causing any pigment changes to his skin at all.

She still wasn't entirely sure he had actually been working out in the gym. But that would mean he was in the showers just to catch her coming into the gym. On a level she didn't want to admit existed, she was okay with that particular motive.

"Are you feeling all right, Miss Em'ry? After a traumatic event, you should take it easy. Isn't that what the doctor said?"

Well, she _had_ been okay with his motives until he'd said that. "I'm fine. It's not the first time I've bumped my head."

Buck stepped closer. 'Reached to brush his fingers across the small knot on the side of her head.

She almost flinched away from him, but something in the air changed. Something charged and electric passed between them. It didn't feel like an external force, just a natural reaction; a familiar sensation, but stronger.

Gail held her breath while his fingers passed over her hair. She even let him brush his lips against the painful bump on her head. He was surprisingly tender. For balance she pressed her hand against his bare, wet chest and felt his heart beating faster than normal.

Her head was getting fuzzy. Was it from the bump on her head, Buck's touch, or the steam from the showers that never quite went away? Keeping her breathing as even as possible, she waited for him to move away.

He didn't. In fact, he moved closer to her. She could feel the heat of his body and the full weight of his forearm against her back. It was strange to feel him embrace her, to hold her against his chest.

"Excuse me?" she whispered.

Buck sighed against her shoulder then stepped back a pace. "You should rest. 'Take care of yourself."

"It's a little bump on the head. I think I'll be fine." 'Though she was considering skipping her workout in favor of getting out of the gym sooner. She was also sure they had just had this same conversation.

"'Should also tell that Doc Peale to be careful where he's driving," Buck almost snarled. Gail thought she could see fire in his eyes.

"It wasn't his fault," she said. "A deer charged at the side of the car. We were lucky there wasn't more damage."

Buck snorted disdainfully. A moment later his face shifted and became softer. "You're gonna' miss your workout."

She caught herself staring at the muscles rippling beneath his skin, then at the towel as it slowly slipped from his hips. The dark blue terrycloth loosened and fell to the locker room floor with a soft _thump_. Gail found herself focused on the juncture of his hips for longer than was polite.

With a strong blink, she jerked her gaze away and lifted a hand to shield her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should go."

"Don't be shy, Miss Em'ry. I don't bite," he told her.

That made her gape at him in astonishment. Had he actually just told her it was okay to look at his naked body? Was he suggesting that she should also be naked? She wasn't sure she was interested in finding out which was more likely.

She stepped away from him, in the direction of the exit. "No, I really think I should go," she reiterated. Her feet had her turned around and walking away a moment later. However, it didn't help her mind change focus. She was still thinking about how attractive he was, with his tanned skin and long, lean muscles. He may have been walking a fine line, morally, but he was still sexy in all the right places.

A warm, thick hand wrapped around her forearm, then pulled slightly. She found herself pressed against Buck's chest for the second time in less than half-an-hour. As she opened her mouth to demand he let her go, he covered her lips with a kiss.

Warm and full, his kiss made her head spin. Her fingers clutched at his biceps. Maddeningly, she was torn between clinging to him and shoving him away. On the one hand, he was making her feel amazingly sexy, treating her like he was actually interested in a relationship. On the other hand, he was an evil bastard, even if he didn't kill her parents as she'd once thought.

He held her in the kiss just beyond the point where it became uncomfortable, then drew away, his eyes closed and a soft sigh in his throat. She could almost swear he had tasted her soul and was savoring its flavor. A chill ran down her spine at that thought. Her feet had her moving away from him again. This time, she didn't give him the chance to draw her back into his sphere. No turning back, no stutter in her steps, she headed for the exit, determined to leave the naked sheriff behind her.


End file.
